The Flu Runs Rampant in Cleveland Indians’ Camp

Flu Bug Flourishing in Tribe Camp

This winter has been a particular devastating one in regards to the flu, with numerous deaths reported around the country.  Things haven’t gotten to that point yet, but the Cleveland Indians haven’t found a way to avoid the bug themselves. At least seven Tribe players have missed time due to the flu this spring, including Corey Kluber, Zach Walters, Lonnie Chisenhall, Carlos Carrasco, Brandon Moss, Michael Brantley, and Cody Anderson.

Carlos Carrasco and Michael Brantley are the most recent to come down the flu, with Brantley missing today’s game versus the Padres. The good news is the bug hasn’t seemed to keep any players out for too long, a day or two max.  For example, Moss missed two days and Carrasco, who was scratched from his start yesterday, is slated to throw a side session tomorrow with the hope to start a game later in the week.  Thankfully, this little epidemic has not dampened skipper Tito Francona’s spirit much:

"“I figure we’ve got 47 guys to go,” Indians manager Terry Francona joked. “We’ll get through it at some point.”"

Hopefully the Tribe is able to get all this flu out of their systems during Spring Training when games don’t count and it doesn’t carry over and affect the regular season, like it did in 2005.

It Could Be Worse

While having the flu spread around camp like wildfire is obviously not a pleasant situation, things could be worse. Take the Milwaukee Brewers, for instance, who are not only dealing with a bout of the flu themselves but also an outbreak of pink eye.  In fact, things have gotten so bad for the Brewers that they have banned high-fives until the infection is eradicated from their clubhouse.  Yikes. Wash your hands everyone.